As 2018 fast approaches, there's reason to believe that one of the biggest trends that will be seen in the banking industry in the UK next year is a tighter relationship between big banks and fintechs.

What is it like to drive for Lyft? Soon, it's a question the company's more than 2,000 corporate employees will be better able to answer.

That's because the second largest ride hailing service in the U.S. is now requiring its employees to spend at least four hours a month driving for Lyft or, alternatively, working in one of Lyft's driver hubs or fielding driver support calls.

This week’s selection of stats is like a tin of Quality Street (a particular diverse type of English chocolate). You might not like every single one, but there’s bound to be someone out there who will. So, why not share it with your nearest and dearest (or, you know, people you don’t talk to on Twitter)?

The roundup includes talk about personalisation, packaging, and regrettable social media posts. Don’t say we don’t spoil you.

As the year draws to a close, talk naturally turns to what the biggest trends of 2018 will be. Will AI dominate? Is personalisation yet again going to take centre stage?

Interestingly, it seems the one thing consumers will look for in the year ahead is a brand that sounds exactly like they do. In other words, emotional intelligence – i.e. the ability to empathise and engage like a human – will become the biggest consumer expectation of all.

Few would argue that two of the most important marketing topics at the moment are customer experience (CX) and data analytics.

Which is interesting as CX and analytics seem worlds apart. CX tends to be a soft, holistic study of how to make customers happier and analytics consists of the cold, hard numbers which fuel return on investment (ROI) calculations.

Last month, Calvin Klein announced a new collaboration with Amazon Fashion for the 2017 holiday season. Along with an exclusive online shop, it has opened two pop-up stores in New York and Los Angeles to run until the end of December.

Previously, Calvin Klein has given department stores first access to its new ranges. This time, however, shoppers won’t be able to get their hands on fresh Calvin’s anywhere but Amazon until January – long after the Christmas period has finished.